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Real Ghost Stories

By: William T. Stead
Narrated by: Scott Woodside
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Publisher's summary

Many people will object - some have already objected - to the subject of this book. It is an offence to some to take a ghost too seriously; to others it is a still greater offence not to take ghosts seriously enough. One set of objections can be played off against the other; neither objection has a very solid foundation. The time has surely come when the fair claim of ghosts to the impartial attention and careful observation of mankind should no longer be ignored. In earlier times people believed in them so much that they sought their acquaintance; in later times people believe in them so little that they will not even admit their existence. Thus these mysterious visitants have hitherto failed to enter into that friendly relation with mankind which many of them seem sincerely to desire.

Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
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Editorial reviews

Author Stead was a Victorian-era journalist who used the press to influence societal mores and politics. He was famous for pioneering tabloids and for dying aboard the Titanic. Stead believed in the spiritual realm. He studied psychic phenomena and was versed in obscure terminologies used to define and categorize psychic experience. Narrator Scott Woodside’s curious and encouraging tone guides listeners through Stead’s sensational tutorial. Psychic phenomena are described at face value, then reviewed again using theories regarding functions of the unconscious. Then the book details and classifies various ghostly encounters. Woodside’s friendly fireside voice doles out Stead’s persuasive rhetoric. Listeners will become educated on psychic phenomena. Both believers and unbelievers will get goose bumps when hearing Woodside recount the ghost tales.

What listeners say about Real Ghost Stories

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Not a collection of ghost stories at all

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

If you are doing research on paranormal phenomena in general.

What was most disappointing about William T. Stead’s story?

It wasn't a story at all, but a collection of essays on all things supernatural. Not a bad collection at that, but a completely misleading title.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Get a Brit!

If you are going to tell stories of old English spiritualism please get a British narrator. While I find that Scott Woodside has a good voice, he is not best suited for this. I am looking forward to hearing him read Poe.

The book is more tiresome than scary. Don’t know if it ever gets to ghosts. Not going to finish it. I can only take so many accounts of astral projection in the Victorian age. If you are into that and don’t mind having an American read it, you may enjoy it. At least I didn’t pay for it.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Um, Boo

Wasn't scary at all. I want real horror like The exorcist horror or the Amityville horror stories like that that will leave you shocked after you read it

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

These aren’t ghost stories

This is not about ghosts but about split personalities. People are claiming the author deliberately deceived everyone but the man’s been dead for over 110 years - this is a book about split personalities.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Historical curiosity destroyed by narration

This book is unbearable due to the narrator. It astonishes me that native speakers of English mangle basic pronunciation! Between that and the adenoidal voice, I have no idea how Mr Woodside was given this gig. This is a plague among audible narrators, ruining books due to cultural illiteracy. If this wasn’t so old, I would believe it was AI because of the bizarre pronunciation of English. I wanted to read Stead’s work while working on research into the history of spiritualism but can’t listen. Will read on an archival site since the work is public domain.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

So Unbelievably Boring…

This author has taken a scintillating subject and made it sound like a high school social studies text! Ugh!

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